Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that is rare but very malignant. This is based on the difficulty of detecting this type of cancer early on so that patients generally only find out that they have pancreatic cancer after the cancer has spread to other organs (advanced cancer). The location of the pancreas which is in the back of the abdominal cavity with a tube-like shape 15 centimeters long is also a factor in the difficulty of detecting tumors in the pancreas even with a CT scan.
Symptoms Caused
Although pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early on, there are several symptoms that are generally early symptoms of pancreatic cancer, such as the following:
- Eyes and skin look yellowish ( jaundice )
This condition is caused by cancer cells blocking the flow of bile from the liver resulting in an increase in bilirubin in the blood.
- Blood sugar increases
One of the functions of the pancreas is to produce the hormone insulin which helps regulate blood sugar. Some pancreatic cancer patients are reported to have diabetes as a result of cancer cells that inhibit the production of the hormone insulin.
- Nausea and vomiting
Conditions of nausea and vomiting are common when sick, but this needs to be watched out for if it keeps recurring and causes drastic weight loss.
- Abdominal pain
Pain in the abdomen usually appears if the growth of cancer cells has enlarged. Patients with pancreatic cancer will feel pain in the upper left abdomen and then spread to the back. The pain will increase if the patient is eating or lying down. `
Stages in Pancreas Cancer
Before determining the type of treatment to be carried out, the doctor will carry out a series of tests starting from imaging tests of organs (USG, CT Scan or MRI), laparoscopy, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), to Biopsy. After the diagnosis is complete, the doctor will classify the cancer based on its stage group.
- Stage 1 pancreatic cancer means that cancer cells are only found in the pancreas and have not spread to other parts of the body.
- Stage 2 pancreatic cancer means the cancer cells have spread to nearby tissues or organs from the pancreas. In stage 2, cancer cells may have spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 3 pancreatic cancer means the cancer cells have spread to the large blood vessels around the pancreas and possibly to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 4 pancreatic cancer means the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body such as the liver, lungs or the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity ( peritoneum ).
Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Surgery is an alternative treatment that is commonly performed on cancer patients, but the percentage of success depends on the condition of the cancer patient. If the cancer cells have not spread to other parts of the body or to important blood vessels, the success rate of removing cancer cells is even greater.
Judging from the procedure, there are three types of operations that can be performed to treat pancreatic cancer.
- Whipple surgery is an operation to remove the head of the pancreas. Not only the head of the pancreas, other parts near the pancreas, such as the first part of the small intestine, gallbladder, part of the bile duct, and part of the stomach may also be removed.
- Pancreatectomy surgery is an operation to remove the entire pancreas and also other organs close to the pancreas, such as the spleen, bile duct, small intestine and half of the stomach. This operation is performed if the cancer cells have spread to other organs.
- Distal pancreatectomy surgery is an operation to remove the tail and body of the pancreas which can spread to the spleen, parts of the stomach and large intestine, the left kidney, the left adrenal gland and the left side of the diaphragm.
If pancreatic cancer cannot be cured with drugs, then the patient can take pain management measures to reduce cancer pain caused by advanced tumors. One of the actions that can be done is the Celiac Gangglion Blockade procedure, which is a minimally invasive surgical procedure. This procedure is carried out through an anterior approach (front) of the stomach with the help of a C arm, then a special needle is inserted towards the Celiac Ganglion and a blockade is carried out with the administration of drugs and radio frequency.
It is hoped that by taking pain management measures, patients will be able to undergo more optimal treatment while improving the quality of life of Pancreatic Cancer sufferers. #LiveExcellently